Arch support



AWF@ 7 3.93@ D R. SLATER @,Q@

ARCH SUPPORT Filed Jan. 24, 1935 Patented Apr. 7, 1936 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE 10 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in arch supports.

Heretofore such supports have usually been constructed of leather,either braced with a rigid underlying metal plate or provided withpockets on the under face for the reception of pads. In the latter type,the intended purpose is to permit a building up of the support to meetindividual needs. Such structures have failed to accomplish theirpurpose. Leather supports after being worn for a while invariably curlat the heel or sides, permitting shifting of the support to an improperposition. The pocketed pad type of support, which is intended to providefor individual adjustment, possesses no means for meeting unusual footconditions, such as varying lengths of bones, and at the most providesonly for regulating the height to which the4 arch as a whole is raised.Metatarsal or longitudinal adjustments made below insoles Warp down thesoles of the shoe instead of raising the bones of the foot as desired.

In addition to providing inefficient and defective support, the use ofthe known types of arch supports often results in the cutting, breakingdown or distortion of the shoe of the wearer.

With these and other defects of the known types of construction in mind,it is an object of this invention to provide a support which will permitprecise adjustment for the tarsal or metatarsal structure regardless ofthe natural type of the individual foot.

Another object is to provide'a support which, in the hands of a skilledfitter, in the manner described hereinafter, will result in theproduction of a support which precisely fits the foot for which it ismade, providing correct adjustment of each of the metatarso-phalangealjoints individually, and staying in correct position in the shoe.

A further object is to provide for the ready removal and replacement ofthe elements of the support from time to time as the adjustment of thebones progresses.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention are attainedthrough the use of my improved support which comprises a comparativelythin and relatively rigid insole member of suitable shape and size tofit Within a shoe and provided on its upper surface with individual padsor cushions which are fastened on said insole member in predeterminedposition and relation to each other, the relative positions having beenpreviously ascertained through the use of special calipers or footmeasuring devices which form no part of the present invention.

An embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a complete archsupport, A

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan View of the support shown in Fig. l, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of dividual pads.

Referring to Figs. l to 4 of the drawing, the arch support properconsists of a body portion I0 in the form of an insole having a heelportion II and extending forwardly so that the forward end I2 willunderlie the metatarsal arch of the foot of the user. The insole memberis preferably made of a single piece of thin, relatively rigid materialwhich is impervious to heat and moisture, such as a phenolic or othersynthetic resin, or fibrous or laminated structures bonded by suchresins.

The insole member is so shaped as to fit both the outline and thecontour of the arch of a shoe, and when it is placed in position it willlie in contact with the customary insole of the shoe substantiallythroughout its entire area and Will not raise the heel or any'otherportion of the foot to any undesirable extent. Y

A plurality of separate, interchangeable pads or cushion members I3 aremounted on the upper surface of the forward portion I2 of the insolemember III. These pads are preferably made of soft rubber, such assponge rubber, and are formed with a rounded forward end I4 and a flattop area I5, and are tapered rearwardly from said flat top area as at I6to terminate in a rear feather edge Il'. The pads are formed with a iiatbottom surface I8 (Fig. 4) provided with integral spaced attaching studsI9 formed with tapering sides to snugly fit the counterbored spacedopenings 20 formed in predetermined positions, as will be hereinafterexplained, in the insole member.

The holes 20 in the insole member are drilled after measuring theindividual foot to be corrected so that each pad is mounted in preciselythe proper position to support one joint without affecting the adjacentjoint. The method of fitting will be explained in more detail later.

A cushion member 2| for the support of the 50 tarsal or innerlongitudinal arch is also mounted in predetermined position on the uppersurface of the insole member lil. The cushion 2| may be formed with arelatively stiif base plate 22 and a resilient rubber pad 23 which formsthe cushion 55 the inelement and which is cemented or otherwise securedto the base plate, The cushion 2i is secured in position by screws 24which pass through spaced holes 25 formed in predetermined position inthe insole l and engage threaded openings in the stiff base plate 22. Ametallic clamping plate 2S is placed on the under side of the insolemember and the shanks of the screws pass through this plate so that whenthe screws are tightened, the insole will be firmly clamped between theplate 25 and the base plate 22.

According to the method of treatment in which the arch supports are tobe used, the location of the several cushion sections is determinedaccurately for the particular foot to be treated. An insole blank of theappropriate size and shape is marked to show the location of each jointthat is to be treated, and the twin holes 20 and 25 for mounting thepads are drilled, preferably with twin drills to insure accuracy.

Pads I3 of the proper thickness for initial arch adjustment are thenbuttoned in position in the holes 20 and a tarsal or os calcis pad isfastened in position by the screws 24.

Corrections must be made by degrees, as it is too painful to elevatedislocated bones more than a little at a time. 'I'he pads I3 are changedfrom time to time, being replaced by thicker pads until the finalsetting, for full correction, is reached. The replacement of the padsdoes not necessitate further foot measurement or fitting of a newsupport as the holes 2B insure that the new pads will always be properlylocated.

The devices illustrated are for the right foot; however, as will beobvious, the same structures with the parts reversed are used forfitting the left foot and it is not deemed necessary to duplicate thedrawing and description to the extent of specifically illustrating thesame.

While a preferred embodiment of the new support has been shown anddescribed, it will be understood that the invention is not strictlylimited to the details disclosed but that various modifications andchanges in the details of construction and method of operation may beresorted to within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An arch support comprising a comparatively thin and relatively stiffinsole member having a portion extending beneath the metatarsal arch ofa foot, and a plurality of resilient pads mounted on and exposed at theupper surface of said insole member in position to underlie selectedmetatarso-phalangeal joints of a foot.

2. An arch support for use in the individual treatment of a foot,comprising a relatively stiff insole member and a plurality of cushionmembers removably secured on the upper surface of said insole member,said cushion members being each positioned to support an individualmetatarso-phalangeal joint of said foot when the arch support is in use.

3. An arch support comprising a relatively stiff insole member formedwith pairs of spaced openings therein, a plurality of pads having spacedstuds adapted to t said openings to secure said pads in position on theupper surface of said insole, said pairs of openings being so positionedthat each of said pads individually supports a metatarso-phalangealjoint of a foot to which said support is applied.

4. An arch support for use in the individual treatment of a foot,comprising an insole member and a plurality of individual pads securedto and exposed at the upper surface of said insole, said pads beingpositioned on said insole in the same relative position with respect toeach other as are the metatarso-phalangeal joints of said foot.

5. An arch support for use in the individual treatment of a foot,comprising an insole member formed with a heel portion and a forwardportion extending beneath the metatarsal arch of said foot, a pluralityof cushion members mounted on the upper portion of the forward portionof said insole in the same relation to each other and to the heelportion as the corresponding metatarso-phalangeal joints of said'foot,and a tarsal cushion member mounted on said insole in a positioncorresponding to the tarsal arch of said foot.

6. An arch support comprising an insole member and a plurality ofmetatarsal joint supports mounted on the upper surface of said insolemember in spaced relation in accordance with the spacing of thecorresponding metatarsophalangeal joints of the foot to be treated.

7. An arch support comprising an insole member, a plurality ofmetatarsal joint supports mounted on the upper surface of said insolemember in spaced relation in accordance with the spacing of thecorresponding metatarsophalangeal joints of the foot to be treated, anda tarsal cushion support mounted on the upper surface of said insolemember in a position corresponding to the location of the tarsal arch ofsaid foot.

8. An arch support comprising an insole member and a plurality ofmetatarsal joint supports mounted on the upper surface of said insolemember in spaced relation in accordance with the spacing of thecorresponding metatarsophalangeal joints of the foot to be treated, eachof said joint supports comprising a resilient cushion member formed witha rounded forward end portion and a flat top area and taperingrearwardly from said flat area.

9. An arch support comprising an insole member, a plurality ofmetatarsal joint supports mounted on the upper surface of said insolemember in spaced relation in accordance with the spacing of thecorresponding metatarso-phalangeal joints of the foot to be treated,each of said joint supports comprising a resilient cushion member formedwith a rounded forward end portion and a flat top area and taperingrearwardly from said fiat area, and integral attaching studs formed onthe under surface of said cushion members, said insole member havingopenings formed therein for the reception of said studs whereby saidcushion members are removably held in position.

l0. An arch support comprising an insole member, and cushion meansremovably secured to said insole member and exposed at the upper surfacethereof for contact with the foot, said cushion means including aplurality of sections each positioned beneath and individuallysupporting a metatarso-phalangeal joint of the particular foot to betreated.

DAVID RALPH SLATER.

